


Rain

by tighthae



Series: Forecast [2]
Category: ASTRO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, this is angst if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 22:17:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13467714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tighthae/pseuds/tighthae
Summary: Dongmin dreams outside the spectrum of realism. Jinwoo dreams inside of it. Their orbits never meet.





	Rain

**Author's Note:**

> second part because i LOVE shit like this and this one isnt proofread either bc who has time for that

There were four instances in Jinwoo's life where rain had been related to the relationship he had with Dongmin. The first being when they met. It was raining. Jinwoo doesn't know why he remembered that detail. So much time had passed he thought he would forget about how he met Dongmin but after all those years he still remembers. They were on the playground. The playground was right across the street from Jinwoo's house and he insisted he was a big boy that day and he deserved to go by himself. It hadn't been cloudy at that time so his mother agreed that he was a big boy and let him go by himself. Freedom. That's what it felt like. Being able to go down the slide without his mom saying something like being careful or don't get hurt. Jinwoo loved it. After a few minutes of playing on the slide, he decided to go on the swings. After another five minutes, Jinwoo ruled the swings as too boring and went back to the slide. That's where he met Dongmin.

Whenever Jinwoo asked if Dongmin was ever shy before they met he would say he didn't know. Judging by this one encounter Jinwoo can say that he most likely was. The first time Jinwoo talked to Dongmin was to convince him that the slide wasn't scary. Jinwoo kept insisting that nothing would happen and that it would be okay. This was the very first-time Jinwoo did something like this but it soon became their relationship dynamic. Jinwoo always insisting, Dongmin always being reluctant. Dongmin relied on Jinwoo for reassurance and Jinwoo relied on Dongmin as an emotional anchor. The two worked well together, circling around each other, orbits in perfect harmony.

Once they got down the slide, Dongmin was on the verge of tears and Jinwoo was trying not to laugh. Jinwoo thought it was silly that someone would cry about going down a slide. It was a little endearing too. And soon enough, the winds picked up, the trees rustled, and the water came down to greet the earth. Jinwoo liked the smell of rain. It reminded him of being clean or renewed. Rain also reminded him of today. The day he met Dongmin with tears streaming down his cheek and the rain making them unidentifiable.

﹌  
Two peas in a pod. That's what Jinwoo's dad called Dongmin and Jinwoo. After their meeting in the rain, Dongmin and Jinwoo were almost inseparable. The duo was unstoppable. Although looking back on it, maybe Dongmin was only friends with Jinwoo because he needed him. Maybe he needed someone who would be able to push him in the right direction or guide him when he was unsure. Jinwoo was sort of like a guardian angel in that sense. Always guiding Dongmin, always protecting Dongmin, always making sure Dongmin didn't get hurt, always making sure Dongmin didn't get hurt. Dongmin, Dongmin, Dongmin, Dongmin, Dongmin, Dongmin. That's what his childhood consisted of. Jinwoo didn't mind one bit.

The power duo went to primary school together. Jinwoo battled bullies while Dongmin tackled Jinwoo's homework. There was a balance, a mutualism, an equilibrium, everything seemed so right when he was with Dongmin. Of course, he was too young to realize it was a crush developing. Jinwoo thought that's what having a best friend my feel like and he never wanted this feeling to go away. He never wanted Dongmin to go away. Jinwoo always wanted to see that brilliant smile and that melodic laugh. There were thoughts of wanting to store them in a jar or in a picture frame if he was being more practical. That's just a normal, best friend, thing to think, right? Of course. It was normal to want your best friend to always be at your side. 

Unfortunately, nothing can last forever. The universe is always expanding, things are always changing, your cells die and regenerate until you're a new person, the earth continues to rotate, and global warming continues to dominate. Comets travel through the infinite void called space at incredibly fast speeds until they get caught in something's orbit, they rotate around it in an elliptical pattern until it's propelled out and continues its journey. That's the best way to describe what happened to their relationship. Jinwoo was always more practical than Dongmin, his orbit around him was always in danger of shooting off in a direction that Dongmin wasn't going to follow. Dongmin was a dreamer, he wanted to big things. He wanted to become a model, an actor, an idol, anything that will give him a spotlight. The boy wanted to bring joy to world and Jinwoo wanted a stable income. It became more apparent in middle school.

Jinwoo joined a multitude of academic clubs to head start his high school career while Dongmin maintained a social life. They were no longer two celestial objects dancing around each other but two comets going opposite ways. It was sad. Dongmin's social life made him more confident, made him less needy, and Jinwoo was no longer a big factor in his life. Jinwoo didn't need to protect Dongmin anymore, Jinwoo didn't need to always be by Dongmin's side, and Jinwoo didn't need to check up on Dongmin often. That's life. That's what Jinwoo's verdict. There was no need to cling to each other if their paths were starting to fork. Jinwoo still couldn't help but be sad. But he studied harder, he became a model student, he sprinted down his own path, he had to let go of Dongmin eventually and become his own person. Maybe Jinwoo needed Dongmin more than Dongmin needed him. Just maybe.

The first year of high school was no different. The star student worked just as hard and Dongmin slacked off just as much. No glances, no greetings, no birthday wishes, no happy holidays, nothing. They had diverged and Jinwoo couldn't have been more relieved. Dongmin had consumed most of his childhood and now he's stuck working his ass off so he won't end up homeless or a NEET. Jinwoo minded that Dongmin was his priority years ago, Jinwoo minded that Dongmin needed so much help from him, Jinwoo minded that he didn't mind at all. Then he fell into a routine. Wake up, go to school, attend clubs, student council meeting, go home, eat, shower, sleep, and repeat. There was nothing better than routine though. The chance of unexpected events happening was reduced when you did the same thing. It was fine. As usual, Jinwoo didn't mind. Why would he? He didn't want to have a fun, lively, circle of friends to hang out with. His textbooks were his friends. Thinking about the future was more important than dwelling in the present. Routine, routine, routine, succeed. That is important.

Jinwoo's routine was broken during his second year of high school. It sucked. As usual, Jinwoo was busy minding his business. The homeroom teacher had instructed Jinwoo to deliver the workbooks from the office to the classroom. He did as he was told. There wouldn't have been if students watched where they were going. A comet has a 1 in 10,000 chance of colliding with the earth. Jinwoo had a 1 in 10 chance of colliding with Dongmin. The other 9 numbers were on a lunch break. Books were scattered, Jinwoo was angry, Dongmin was apologetic, and his friends weren't helping. Dongmin gave the most awkward apology in existence, not bothering to look Jinwoo in the eye. A fighting spirit told Jinwoo to demand Dongmin atone by carrying half of the books, he followed it.

"You're making it more awkward by not speaking," Jinwoo was the first to talk. Dongmin thought he was being sneaked by glancing at Jinwoo from the corner of his eye. It's too bad Jinwoo has amazing peripheral vision. "It shouldn't even be awkward in the first place. If anything, I should be the one who feels awkward. You ditched me." 

Dongmin was visibly shocked. "I ditched you?" He sounded offended. "You're the one who joined all those clubs and then stopped talking to me. You still have all that never from three years ago."

"Let's call it a truce then. Let's be friends again. Actually, let's be best friends again. It's boring not having anyone to talk to in the little free time I have." Jinwoo doesn't know the probability of something leaving and orbit then coming back into it, but it didn't seem that large.

"You still don't have friends?" Dongmin laughed out loud. "You're still a loser."

﹌

Everything was going great, perfect even. Jinwoo and Dongmin were best friends again. Until he came. He was evil, vile, malicious, malevolent, vicious, wicked, everything of that sort. And everyone loved him, including Dongmin. His name was Moon Bin. Jinwoo thinks it's a stupid name. The boy wasn't new to the school, but he had a dance-off with Minhyuk and won which shot him up in social status. There was something everyone saw in him that Jinwoo could not even begin to see. Even Dongmin was under his spell. Dongmin was especially under his spell to be more accurate. 

Not a moment passed by where Dongmin wasn't talking about Bin. "Bin is so this!"; "Bin is so that!"; "Moon Bin, Moon Bin, Moon Bin!". Nothing of substance was ever said most of the time. But Jinwoo endured because that's what best friends do. Best friends listen to their friends no matter how boring the subject might be. He was a good best friend, no, a great best friend. A best friend. Yes, that's what he was. He would listen to Dongmin with intent even if they don't talk as much as they used to. Because that's what makes Dongmin happy.

"You promised to hang out with me just a few minutes ago. Please, keep your thoughts on track." Jinwoo pointed out. "And it's not like you and he isn't in the same class. You seem him every day. Do you have a crush on him or something?" Jinwoo laughed at his own joke until he saw Dongmin's face reveal the truth. Dongmin's face went from minor frustration to deadly serious. "Oh my god, you like him? Whatever, go do your assessment thing or whatever it is. I was planning on studying anyway." Jinwoo got up without another word.  
Jinwoo knows this was the moment when he realized his feelings for Dongmin. 

Dongmin didn't like Bin in that way, right? That's what Jinwoo asked himself. He meant like as in he enjoys the person's company. What did he mean by different? Were they that different? What made Jinwoo so different from Moon Bin? In Jinwoo's opinion, he was much better than Bin. Yea, he was better than Bin in every aspect. Jinwoo was smarter, more good looking, and a better person in every aspect. Definitely. A mental note was made for Jinwoo to apologize later.

Apologize the same day, that was the plan. Jinwoo had asked Minhyuk if he knew where the two were doing their student assessment. The basketball court, easy. He would just stride there casually and say sorry. That's all it would take. Dongmin would be surprised too, Jinwoo never apologized. Then they would live happily ever after and eventually fall in love once Dongmin got over his infatuation with Bin. Yep, that was the plan. Until he saw the two, hand in hand, staring into each other's eyes. Dongmin looked smitten. It was the first time Jinwoo had seen that look on Dongmin's. His eyes were usually lifeless or full of life. There was no in between. But there, standing in front of Bin, he had a soft look with a smile. Maybe he just really appreciated Bin's work. Jinwoo didn't apologize that day.

﹌

The second time it rained was the time Jinwoo realized Dongmin would only be a friend. Dongmin had said he needed water and stole Jinwoo's umbrella to retrieve it. Jinwoo wouldn't have minded if Dongmin hadn't been gone for a total of ten minutes. It should on take five. Maybe he was hurt? The boy had always gotten bruised easily when they were younger. It didn't look like he had grown any tougher since they were younger. Would it be bad to check on him? He wasn't doing it because he needed to see if Dongmin was okay, he was doing it because it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately, Dongmin was fine. Maybe it was because he was in the arms of Moon Bin. Even when he was soaking wet, he looked happy. Jinwoo resisted the urge to scoff when he saw that his eyes were squeezed shut. Jinwoo walked away without a word.

They fell back into their own orbits. Jinwoo began to ignore Dongmin again. Maybe it was a test or maybe because it felt like the right thing to do. He doesn't know. Dongmin doesn't seem to care either. The other makes no attempt to contact Jinwoo. The logical reason behind this would be that Dongmin thinks Jinwoo is busy, but Jinwoo was never known to use his head outside of schoolwork. In his mind, Moon Bin had begun to orbit around Dongmin, Jinwoo was left to rocket through the cosmos. Earth doesn't have two moons. 

Falling back into a routine, Jinwoo felt more than comfortable. He really did. Dongmin was weighing him down, holding him back. Their lives were going in two entirely different directions. The taller boy would only be dead weight in the long run. Jinwoo didn't need him. At the end of their second year, Jinwoo had graduated at the top of his class, again. This was the first time Dongmin had talked to him months. The valedictorian didn't need congratulations. Not at all. He definitely didn't need one from the devil himself. There was no need for any of obligations. They would mean nothing in the future.

Dongmin attempted to hang out with Jinwoo over summer. Jinwoo rejected him each time. Apparently, there were a lot of extracurricular activities to do over summer. He did them all. Burying himself in summer homework and random trips to landmarks he didn't care about. Ignoring phone calls and text messages, that was Jinwoo's summer. Freedom. He felt this feeling at the playground. Coincidentally, that feeling was felt right before he made contact with Dongmin. That was no coincidence, actually. Distance. Distance is what he needed. The more distance he put the more he could breathe. So he pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed until he couldn't take it anymore. His existence revolved around Dongmin. Everything began with water, cells in warm pools of water evolved and spread themselves among the earth. Dongmin was water to Jinwoo's. As unhealthy as that sounded. The top student's feelings had hit a crescendo and they weren't coming down and he needed an outlet but there was nothing to project on to. Jinwoo did the next best thing.

"I like you." Jinwoo didn't expect a yes. Why did it hurt when he heard the opposite? There was no chance for them to be together. Just like how there was a 1 in 10,000 chance that a comet my smash into the earth. Their orbits weren't meant to meet. They were destined to separate until they could no longer see each other. Jinwoo stormed off with tears in his eyes. He thought there would be a resolution. 

The only time the answers to this problem were solved was when he pushed. So he pushed. He pushed hard. Anything to get away. Jinwoo piled on the workload. Scholarships, internships, competitions, extra credit, it all made him forget. The gigantic amount of work he had piled up pushed him. Jinwoo had gone into overdrive. He didn't notice when Moon Bin and Dongmin would greet each other with light pecks in the hallway, Jinwoo didn't notice when Dongmin made an extravagant poster for Moon Bin for some dance the school was holding, Jinwoo didn't notice the emptiness growing in his stomach, the work kept him occupied. It kept the blood flowing. The world rotated, the sun kept burning, the Kepler spacecraft was discovering new planets, and Jinwoo was in tune with it all.

﹌

"Shit!" Jinwoo grits his teeth and held his hand out. Of course, it would rain the day he didn't have an umbrella. It was just his luck. It didn't matter today though. If he got sick it didn't matter, he was getting the break he deserved. Jinwoo hadn't valued breaks until he suffocated himself with mountains of schoolwork. A little rain wouldn't hurt. 

The sight of Dongmin would. There he was, standing at the entrance to the school, sporting the umbrella Moon Bin got for his birthday. Jinwoo recalled Moon Bin saying umbrellas were special to them and they proceeded to giggle like idiots. Just like he had grown used to, he ignored it. It was hard to ignore when someone grabbed your arm though.

"Where's your umbrella?" Jinwoo didn't turn to look.

"Why do you care?" Jinwoo asked, pushing Dongmin off. "You're waiting for your boyfriend, worry about him instead."

"I was waiting for you." The third time it rained, Jinwoo realized he was still in love with Dongmin.

"God, you're insufferable," Jinwoo was angry now. "You reject me and then you pull some shit like this? Do you think it's funny? Is that what you think?" Jinwoo felt like Dongmin when he was younger. Hopefully, he wouldn't be able to differentiate the tears and the rain.

"I don't think it's funny!" Dongmin yelled back. "Do you think that little of me? I came here because I cared!"

"Well, when someone stops caring you don't go out of your way to care for them!" Jinwoo could tell Dongmin knew he was crying now. "Just leave me alone," His throat hurt. "I'll get over it before graduation.

﹌

Jinwoo doesn't get over it. He gets into his university of choice at least. 

"Can I leave for Seoul early?" Jinwoo asked over dinner. His parents were so proud of their son. He was warm for once. "I want to get living experience there. I already talked it over with the principal. The school said they could mail over my graduation credentials and whatever. The Graduation Ceremony isn't mandatory."

His parents think it's a great idea. Jinwoo is glad. It wasn't long before he was packing. All the important stuff were put in the boxes and all his memories were moved to the attic. There was no need for reminders. Jinwoo wanted to be happy, he wanted to independent, he wanted to live a future that was practical, he wanted to feel the rain on his skin. That's all he wanted.

Moving his things to the moving trailer would've been easy if it wasn't raining. But that was one thing off the bucket list. His mom insisted that she go with him to the new place but Jinwoo said she would have enough time to visit when he got settled. And that was that. He was ready for Seoul. Jinwoo shut the sliding door with purpose and headed for the passenger's seat.

"Jinwoo!" This was the last time he saw Dongmin. There was no looking back to see who was calling him, Jinwoo knows the voice too well. Jinwoo could hear his name through the window, it was muffled. He didn't try to make out any of the sentences as he felt the truck vibrate from the start of the engine. Jinwoo pretended not to care as the vehicle pulled away. There was no goodbyes, no tears, and no regrets if Jinwoo didn't see him. Life began with water and life will end with water. It was the cycle. The fourth rainy day.


End file.
